Chapter 10: Nervous System: Pronunciation of Terms Flashcards
acetylcholine
Neurotransmitter chemical released at the ends of nerve cells.
afferent nerves
Carry nervous impulses toward the brain and spinal cord; sensory nerves.
akinetic
Pertaining to loss or absence of voluntary movement.
analgesia
Absence of sensitivity to pain.
anencephaly
Congenital condition of partial or complete absence of brain matter.
anesthesia
Lack of feeling or sensation.
aphasia
Inability to speak.
Language function is impaired due to injury to the cerebral cortex.
apraxia
Inability to perform purposeful acts or manipulative objects.
arachnoid membrane
Middle layer of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord.
astrocyte
Glial (neuroglial) cell that transports salts and water from capillaries.
ataxia
Without coordination.
autonomic nervous system
Nerves that control involuntary body functions of muscles, glands, and internal organs.
axon
Microscopic fiber that carries a nervous impulse along a nerve cell.
blood-brain barrier
Blood vessels that let certain substances enter the brain tissue and keep other substances out.
bradykinesia
Slow movement.
brainstem
Lower portion of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord.
cauda equina
Collection of spinal nerves below the end of the spinal cord.
causalgia
Intensely unpleasant burning pain in a limb following damage to nerves.
cell body
Part of the nerve cell (neuron) that contains the nucleus.
central nervous system
Brain and spinal cord.
cephalgia
Head pain; headache
cerebellar
Pertaining to the cerebellum.
cerebellopontine
Pertaining to the cerebellum and pons.
cerebellum
Part of the brain that coordinates muscle movements and maintains balance.
cerebral cortex
Outer region of the cerebrum.
cerebrospinal fluid
Clear, watery fluid that circulates throughout the brain and spinal cord.
cerebrum
Largest part of the brain. Responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought and memory.
coma
State of unconsciousness from which a patient cannot be aroused.
comatose
Pertaining to a coma.
cranial nerves
Twelve pairs of nerves that carry messages to and from the brain.
dendrite
Microscopic branching portion of a nerve cell.
First part of the nerve cell to receive the nervous impulse.
dura mater
Thick, outermost layer of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
dyskinesia
Impairment of the ability to perform voluntary movements.
dyslexia
Difficulty in reading, writing, and learning.
efferent nerves
Carry messages away from the brain and spinal cord; motor nerves.
encephalitis
Inflammation of the brain.
encephalopathy
Disease of the brain.
ependymal cell
A glial cell that lines the membranes within the brain and spinal cord and helps form cerebrospinal fluid.
epidural hematoma
Collection of blood located above the dura mater.
ganglion
Collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system.
glial cell
Nervous system cell that is supportive and connective in function.
Astrocyte, microglial cell, ependymal cell
glioblastoma
Rapidly growing malignant tumor of the brain.
gyrus
Sheet of nerve cells that produces a rounded fold on the surface of the cerebrum.
hemiparesis
Slight paralysis of the right or left half of the body.
hemiplegia
Paralysis of the right or left half of the body.
hypalgesia
Diminished sensitivity to pain.
hyperesthesia
Excessive sensitivity or feeling, especially of the skin in response to touch or pain.
hyperkinesis
Excessive movement.
hypothalamus
Portion of the brain beneath the thalamus.
Controls sleep, appetite, body temperature, and secretions from the pituitary gland.
intrathecal
Pertaining to within the membranes (meninges) surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
leptomeningitis
Inflammation of the two thinner membranes (arachnoid and pia mater) surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
medulla oblongata
Lower part of the brain, closest to the spinal cord.
Controls breathing, heartbeat, and size of blood vessels.
meningeal
Pertaining to the meninges.
meningioma
Benign tumor of the meninges.
microglial cell
Phagocytic glial cell that removes waste products from the central nervous system.
migraine
A severe headache, often unilateral, and sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
motor nerves
Carry impulses from the brain and spinal cord to muscles.
myelin sheath
Fatty white covering over the axon of a nerve cell.
myelogram
X-ray record (with contrast) of the spinal cord.
myelomeningocele
Congenital hernia (protrusion) of the spinal cord and meninges through a defect (gap) in the vertebral column.